Lincoln-Way East Coach Named Boys Water Polo Coach Of The Year

FRANKFORT, IL — The National Federation of High Schools Association has named Lincoln-Way East coach Ryan Lodes the 2018-2019 NFHS Boys Water Polo Coach of the Year. The district said Lodes led the Griffins to a fourth place finish at state, earning the first state trophy ever in any water sport at Lincoln-Way East.

The Griffins were 23-10 and finished first in the SWSC Conference with a 10-0 in record.

“We are very proud of Ryan and he is very deserving on this honor,” Mark Vander Kooi, Athletic Director at Lincoln-Way East said in a release. “He works extremely hard and takes great pride in his coaching. The student-athletes in his program played extremely hard andare well coached. His teams are fun to watch.”

Last year was Lodes’ tenth year of coaching water polo. He said he was inspired to coach after playing water polo at Lincoln-Way from 2001-2005 under Mike Cremieux and Brian Shannon.

“I absolutely love the game and learning new and interesting offenses and ways to teach athletes,” Lodes said in a release. “I attend the NCAA final four for water polo each year, where
I get to see top water polo programs compete at the highest level. The water polo community in which I came up is a fantastic one. I have worked with phenomenal coaches like Kendra Will, Keith Huizinga, Eric Olson, Steve Anderson, and Kate Gabey. These coaches have helped me form routines, ideologies, and offered general support throughout my career. I look forward to continuing to develop Lincoln-Way water polo as a top competitor in the state.”